Marcello Gaviglio, 55, had to amputate half of his left leg after being hit by a motorcycle
A man can regain the use of his hand, which was paralyzed in a serious road accident, thanks to a pioneering nerve transfer operation from his partially amputated leg, doctors in northern Italy have said.
Surgeons at the Turin Municipal Hospital (CTO) have transferred part of the man’s sciatic nerve, which controlled the movement of his amputated foot, to the brachial plexus, the network of nerves that connects the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand .
“It’s the first time anyone has transferred a component of the sciatic nerve to the brachial plexus,” PaoloTito, one of the surgeons who performed the operation, said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.
Marcello Gaviglio, a 55-year-old healthcare worker, had to amputate half of his left leg after being hit by a motorbike five months ago while riding his motorized bicycle to work.
He suffered serious injuries to his brachial plexus and leg, which left him unable to use both hands.
Since the part of the sciatic nerve that controlled the left foot was no longer needed, in the surgery performed on December 21 it was possible to transfer it to the shoulder area, potentially restoring mobility to one of the hands.
Since the part of the sciatic nerve that controlled his left foot was no longer needed, in the operation performed on December 21 it could be transferred to the shoulder area, potentially restoring mobility to one of his hands.
Before it is clear whether this is possible, Gaviglio will have to undergo approximately 5 months of post-operative care. For now he still can’t move his hand.
Nerve transfer surgery is nothing new, but it previously did not involve moving a nerve that normally controls the foot to an area that controls the hand.
Source: Terra

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